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Answers to WTFWTK 2.30!

***Sorry for the delay, folks. It's been a lousy couple of weeks for me. Sorry for the delay in posting these. -JVS3***

Toyguru has once again provided answers to your questions.
Thanks again to him for taking the time to answer these!
Check out his answers to your Round 30 questions!

This round of questions were selected by sailoruranus,
and proofed against old Q&As by Uncle Montork.
Thanks to them for their help!

-------------------

1. Uncle Montork: At SDCC you said Wun-Dar would have a full and a half sword. The packaged picture just revealed shows only one sword. Will he have both types or just the one?

The half sword is in there, you just can’t see it in the package, much like you could not see the Tri-Klops ring at first.

2. Sabretooth: Will you consider releasing Skeletor’s devil-warriors as they appeared in ‘The Power of Point Dread’ and ‘Masks of Power’ minicomics, or the red werewolf-demon and the green lizard-demon as they appeared in ‘Masks of Power’ minicomics? These characters can probably be done with minimum tooling.

Those would be cool villain army builders, but nothing can be confirmed right now.

3. Bulkhide: Characters like Whiplash, Leech, and Spikor used to have Rubber materials (Whiplash = Tail, Spikor = Armor Spikes) used in their construction. How will you/the 4Horsemen address these materials/designs, just making them out of the standard plastic materials sculpted on the figure itself?

It’s too early to know at this point. Once we get to these characters we’ll have an idea of what materials will be used.

4. Grenadaspice: When/if we do get to a Keldor figure, will he come with his 200X Dual Blades?

When and if he comes, you’ll find out! We’re not ready to spill the beans quite yet.

5. bcrduke: Since you said that characters from the MVCreations comic are possible, will you make Illumina and her cat? It would be another great way to use the Battle Cat mold, OR create a new mold to be used for Cringer and Catra's cat-form.

Although Illumina does appear on a few panels in the MVP comic series, her larger backstory was part of a fan pitch that was ultimately deemed too complicated for publication.

We are including the “Icons of Evil” series in MOTUC storyline but the other MVP comics and characters will not be included as toys. We may allude to them in bios, but these stories are too difficult for new fans to access (i.e. out of print) and simply do not fit with the current franchise direction.

Thanks for posting Val! Pretty standard Q&A...except the answer on Illumina! I'm SO upset they will not be making any characters from the MVC (not MVP ) comics. I mean, the bios tell who the characters are. If something's too complicated, do a short summary or dumb it down. Mattel doesn't have to reveal ALL of MOTU's secrets. Some mystery is a good thing.

Also...EVERYTHING for MOTU is out of print. How are new fans supposed to access ANY MOTU literature from the past? You think they could just go to the corner store and pick up a mini-comic to find out who the Green Goddess is? Nope. We only know because of the stuff online. If you look for it, you can find almost any MOTU-media online...including the MVC comics.

How is something a fan-pitch when a writer/colourist/artist hired by Mattel wants to write a story?

And...isn't "the current franchise direction" to include ALL eras of MOTU into one. I do believe MVC comics, which are NOT off-limits, IS an era of MOTU.

I think it's about time for another poll...

Last edited by Darkspecter; February 9, 2010 at 12:16pm.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

The answer regarding Illumina is very upsetting and, frankly, just plain insulting. The storyline is too complicated?
What do they think we are, stupid?

What a joke.

Wow...that is serious burn isn't it.

I'm sorry for anyone who gets offended about this...but I think if the current MOTUC bios content wanted to kiss the MVC comics butt, it would have to stand in a chair to reach it.

This answer is very insulting. Feels to me like a well written and well told story makes Mattel feel a little threatened.

We need to let our new friends at Super 7 know that many of us are ALL IN COLLECTORS. We don't want products that are impossible for the average collector to have access to! If there is a He-man product, I want to buy it. Please no chases or con-only exclusives.

I agree what are they thinking!?! MVC was not just a "Fan" creation but a licensed product from Mattel. Val and Emiliano are not just "fans" they are working design professionals who have also been actively working to keep He-man and She-ra alive and interesting for at least a decade.

Matty Collector would probably not be selling out each month or even be around if it wasn't for such an active fan base at He-man.org.

I really think the most insulting though was the whole MVP used twice when the company's name was clearly listed in the question.

I agree what are they thinking!?! MVC was not just a "Fan" creation but a licensed product from Mattel. Val and Emiliano are not just "fans" they are working design professionals who have also been actively working to keep He-man and She-ra alive and interesting for at least a decade.

Matty Collector would probably not be selling out each month or even be around if it wasn't for such an active fan base at He-man.org.

I really think the most insulting though was the whole MVP used twice when the company's name was clearly listed in the question.

I agree with Judith 100%!

Admit it Scott, you have a major problem with the org, val and emilano. These swipes at the org have been getting worse over the past year. MVCreations (not MVP) WERE official liscence holders, consequently the randor mini series was not a fan pitch! The "to complex" Story was always the story that val and emiliano intended to tell. What rude and disrespectful comments to make, val and emiliano must be hurt!

Last edited by Angel-T; February 9, 2010 at 08:23pm.

PRO CLASSIC POP TOY DESIGN ELEMENTS BEING USED IN MOTUC TO COMPLEMENT THE FILMATION DESIGNS!!!!

I FULLY SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF ILLUMINA IN MOTUC!!!!!

IF YOUR SICK OF WAITING FOR A LIGHT TO APPEAR AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, STRIDE DOWN THERE AND LIGHT THE BLOODY THING YOURSELF!!!!!!!

I agree what are they thinking!?! MVC was not just a "Fan" creation but a licensed product from Mattel. Val and Emiliano are not just "fans" they are working design professionals who have also been actively working to keep He-man and She-ra alive and interesting for at least a decade.

Matty Collector would probably not be selling out each month or even be around if it wasn't for such an active fan base at He-man.org.

I really think the most insulting though was the whole MVP used twice when the company's name was clearly listed in the question.

I agree with you Judith.If it were not for the the fanbase here MOTU would have more than likely not have got a reissue and for sure not have gotten the MOTUC line.Do they (Mattel) not understand that there biting the hand that feeds them?I don't understand what they think at Mattel.The members here know more about MOTU than they do but we get repeatedly dissed.There comments about the MVC comics just goes to show there ignorance in more than 1 area.Mattel should learn from Val and Emiliano what being professionals are.

Yes, that felt insulting. And isn't it MVC, not MVP? Double-insulting, it felt.

Heidi

Jinkies, Mattel, if you're going to insult our intelligence by thinking we can't wrap our miniscule fanboy and fangirl minds around a character's background, can we insult yours by pointing out what Heidi did, it's MVC, not MVP...I know you're getting confused, but if my fangirl mind can point that out, maybe one day, I'll get to sit at the big kids' table and talk about characters that I might not understand. Mattel, please ed-ju-kayte me...

I agree completely with you, Adora. Although what I feel has been said already, I wouldn't feel right without getting on my soap box an adding my two cents.

Mattel, you should be ashamed...you have Val & Emiliano to thank (I mean this entirely as a compliment, guys! ) for the 200x relaunch, which I feel brought MANY new fans to the line. As one of the "veterans" of the site, I feel that I owe a great deal to these two. As most of you know, I met my husband here, and have been a MOTU fan since birth...I guess I take it a little personal when Mattel flagrantly poo-poos us, or insults my intelligence...but who am I to post, I'm just some floozy that works at a gas station, my opinion doesn't matter any way...
~RK

".....We wouldn't think of putting something on the screen - whether for theatres, television, or home video - without building in pro-social values..."

Before this thread gets too out of hand I want to urge orgers to keep their comments constructive and refrain from getting into the realm of personal insults. I often recommend in the Trader Review that people look at what they post before they hit submit, everyone is guilty of this even myself. I feel a lot of grief Scott gets is because he does not do this either. Doing this is what makes us better than those wretches on Facebook, and how we keep ourselves civil.

With that said it is apparent to me that for whatever reason the relationship between Mattel/MattyCollector and the fans here is strained. The separate forum, the thinly veiled jabs and general condescending attitude from Scott (again for whatever reason) are all indicators of this strain.

So I implore everyone to criticize but do so with a level head

Owner Fantastic Plastic Toys. Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer. We ship international. We carry Monster High, Realm of the Underworld, Funko, NECA, Japanese Imports & much more! Creator of Mystical Warriors of the Ring, a 2" Animal Wrestling Minifigure line, with toys now made in China! Check us out!

Out of print? This stinks of Mattel Legal. Most of the bios reference stuff that's been out of print for almost 30 years, unpublished bibles and other things only Mattel employees have access to. At least you can find TPBs of the MVC comics.

That sucks that they haven't thought out Spikor yet. He's ULTRA popular.

Originally Posted by Tallstar

Oh. How disappointing about Illumina...I don't get it.

Agreed, on both counts. I've given up trying to think like Mattel does; I'm simply just going to enjoy what we get and quit trying to wrap my head around their business practices.

Guess Spikor's on the "won't be seeing soon list". I have a feeling we're really close to Clamp Champ/Fisto/Jitsu with all these "it's too soon for X" responses we get.

Originally Posted by Darkspecter

Very true! I forgot about that. There are a lot of comic book stores that still have a few issues.

Com..ic... book.... stores.... what is this strange nonsense you speak of? Those dinosaurs died out many years ago.

Wait...Illumina is too obscure and hard-to-find for a line that's supposedly for the fans, but Demo-Man, something NO ONE knew about is not?

Exactly! ^^This!

Plus, Mattel Legal stopped the MVC Bible from being published. If it were allowed to be published ALL could learn about characters such as Illumina. Yeah, I went there. Check out this closed thread for more info:

Very uninformative round of answers, in my opinion, except for the bit about Wun-Dar's half-sword...

Spikor hasn't been planned yet, it seems... which goes to show that :

1) Mattel doesn't listen to the fans that much (given that Spikor is VERY popular, as it was stated above)

2) Characters requiring more TOOLING are just ignored and not ready to be made yet !

I think the Illumina answer is utterly ridiculous ! In my opinion, the "difficulty" of a storyline concept doesn't have to justify the fact that some characters won't be made into figures ! ONE MORE LIMITATION FOR THE LINE, I GUESS...

If it goes on like this, I guess we might get the following figures for the rest of the year :

Out of print? This stinks of Mattel Legal. Most of the bios reference stuff that's been out of print for almost 30 years, unpublished bibles and other things only Mattel employees have access to. At least you can find TPBs of the MVC comics.

I think it's some Mattel legal thing where Mattel wants to use only Mattel created characters and not have to pay people any royalties.

That sucks that they haven't thought out Spikor yet. He's ULTRA popular.

Although Illumina does appear on a few panels in the MVP comic series, her larger backstory was part of a fan pitch that was ultimately deemed too complicated for publication.

The grumpy old dragon's memory isn't what it used to be, but I thought everything with Illumina and all the other things in the comics were conceived by Val, Emiliano and company. It's hardly a "fan pitch" when the folks doing the official licensed comic book come up with concepts for said book.

The "too complicated" bit must have been the general buzz at Mattel back then, as well (and this is where the sore spot comes in). I remember the word spreading about a big epic in the comics that would bring He-Ro and a lot of other things into the 2002 continuity, and the things I was seeing and hearing made me more excited for the comic than the TV series. Then I see Mattel bring down the hammer and basically straight-jacket the MVCreations crew, saying only characters already shown in the toon could be used (and I believe the restrictions were exterme, from everything I heard at the time). I'd seen the same thing happen with the DC Star Trek books years before, taking some really good Trek tales with interesting new characters and flushing them out the airlock. I know the company owns the property, but hamstringing the creators in this way makes it nearly impossible to tell new, engrossing stories (imagine DC telling Warner Brothers Aniamation they couldn't create new characters, like Harley Quinn, and how much poorer the property as a whole would be for such a stance) It's a bad situation when you have to list Mattel Legal as the co-writer.

Mattel has, over the years, not given Val, Emiliano and the other folks at MVCreations their due, in my eyes, and, as in this case, actually seems intent on deriding their contribution to the MOTU mythos. Me, I usually found the comics stories as enjoyable if not moreso than the toon (especially since He-Man actually had a personality in the comics), and I'm a bit ticked that Mattel still seems intent on belittling the folks who gave us some great comics.

Sorry for the venting, but this answer really rubs me the wrong way.

"I will use this power for all the good that can be done, to work for peace, to encourage virtue, and above all, to preserve life in all its forms..." Superman

No real news here. The only thing I take away is that we will not see Whiplash, Spikor, or Leech for awhile All very cool characters!

I do find the answer to the Illumina question to be poorly worded, at best. I doubt the intention was to insult the creators or the fans by saying she was too obscure or the story too complicated. I LOVED the MVC comics, but it would not break my heart if Illumina was put on hold for the countless other key characters that have yet to make it to plastic (examples: Count Marzo, Evil Seed, Eldor, etc.)

I really wish the MOTU Con question would have been selected. We had a pretty active thread on here lately about it and it would have been great to see if Mattel would be interested in taking part....

5. bcrduke: Since you said that characters from the MVCreations comic are possible, will you make Illumina and her cat? It would be another great way to use the Battle Cat mold, OR create a new mold to be used for Cringer and Catra's cat-form.

Although Illumina does appear on a few panels in the MVP comic series, her larger backstory was part of a fan pitch that was ultimately deemed too complicated for publication.

We are including the “Icons of Evil” series in MOTUC storyline but the other MVP comics and characters will not be included as toys. We may allude to them in bios, but these stories are too difficult for new fans to access (i.e. out of print) and simply do not fit with the current franchise direction.

I usually don't get too involved in the WTFWTK, mostly because of how non-informative they are, but this one I've had to bring myself to post.

It's already been discussed ad nauseum in this thread that this is MVCreations and not MVP. I'll cut Toyguru some slack here as "MVP" could be a typo with respect to "MYP" and "MVCreations".

I won't cut slack for the comment about "fan pitch" though. The fact that Illumina was created by professionals who pitched the comic and not just fans is clear too... if they were just fans, how was it that they had the license to produce the comics? Further, when the new MOTUC line was launched at SDCC, why did Mattel have Emiliano Santalucia doing sketches in their booth? I guess maybe it's not so insulting if you consider the 4HM are fans and they "pitched" the first MOTUC He-man by just showing up with it at comic-con?

Moving on... Clearly all MOTU stories are out of print. If being out of print prevents all new characters than there should be no Green Goddess or He-Ro. Heck, by this logic, Vikor and Demo-Man are off limits because of how restricted the MOTU art book was (and that's the only official pictorial of them). If you do a Google product search for "he-man comics -"comic-con"", you'll find that most of the hits on the first few pages are for MVCreations comics, and that they are cheaper than the old comics in many cases. Thus, it is EASIER for a new fan to get those comics than the old ones.

As others have mentioned, Mattel can't account for where the original "Wonder Bread He-man" came from, but "some fans" have him and so they shoe-horned "Wun-Dar" into existance. If he never officially existed in the original line, and was thus never in any type of media (out of print or otherwise), how could this be any different to the "some fans" who have Illumina in a panel in a comic book they purchased within the last few years?

In the case of the MVCreations comics, I question why it matters if a story is "too complicated". This is probably what makes me the most upset about this post. I will grant that when the 200x line was active, Mattel may have wanted the story to be more accessible to younger readers because the line was targeted to them. Fine. When the MOTUC line is announced, and every figure has "Adult Collector" written on it, is it now being said that the story is "too complicated" for adults? Obviously, I've never read the story of Illumina (hopefully it will see the light someday), but how could the story have been any more complicated/convoluted than other parts of the MOTU Mythos (i.e., Who really is Teela's father?, Who is Keldor's mother?, etc).

Further, if fans are interested in Illumina, why rule her out? She's probably an easy retool. Her cat is an easy retool of Battle Cat. If it is an ownership issue, than something could be worked out, I'm sure. I don't think anyone at MVCreations is unreasonable. Maybe they are, I've not done business with them, but the fact they haven't released the MVCreations bible (I assume at Mattel's request), the fact that they haven't released the Illumina comic storyline (again I assume at Mattel's request), the fact that they have promoted the line for years and helped keep the fan base motivated in times when Mattel wasn't doing anything to keep support alive makes me think that they will work with Mattel. If the issue is determining whether there is enough interest to warrant production, then at least say you'll consider her. There is no reason to rule her out because a story that was never printed was too complicated for the target market of a different but related toy line.

How long has toyguru had a dealings w/ Val & He-man.org and he still doesn't know the correct name for their company MVCreations or MVC NOT MVP!!!

And how is it that MVCreations stories are too complicated and inaccessible or like he says are "OUT of PRINT" when the comics are actually pretty easy to come by and i'm sure they have the master copies for mattel to get their hands on if need be. and last i remembered this line was an adult collectors line, so he's basically saying the comic stories are too complicated for us ADULT COLLECTOR'S to comprehend!

my faith in what toyguru says and how he pushes the blame on others when its been his fault for the chaos that happend w/ the exclusives of last years SDCC are a sure sign that his loyalty is not to motuc or to the fans of which he claims to be an UBER fan!